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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26021794">I am thou. Thou art lonesome.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrvingIV/pseuds/IrvingIV'>IrvingIV</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Shadow Pupeteering (Persona 4) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 4, Persona Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 06:21:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,063</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26021794</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrvingIV/pseuds/IrvingIV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Born out of a discord conversation with a buddy.</p><p>Contents are the result of me saying "I ship it" and the friend following with a tangent about a p4 au idea.</p><p>There is very subtle mind control(that was the idea), and unless you know what it is, you will miss it.</p><p>Also, we'll be alternating between 2 versions of the AU in this fic, on a chapter by chapter basis, but never within the chapters.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Shadow Shirogane Naoto&amp;Shirogane Naoto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Shadow Pupeteering (Persona 4) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1888702</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Side A (Acceptance) Track 01</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/AWildOreo/gifts">AWildOreo</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Naoto awoke on the cold, hard floor of a brightly lit room, and as she fought to open her eyes against the glare, a shadow loomed over her, easing the task.</p><p>Above her was her own face. Aside, of course, from the glowing yellow eyes.</p><p>"Wh-who? H-how?"</p><p>The familiar face frowned intensely.</p><p>"Let's skip the formalities and introductions," suddenly, with a much brighter disposition, "after all, I know everything about you, Naoto-Kun! Your preferences, your dislikes, let's have fun together!"</p><p>Naoto began to crawl back from her double.</p><p>"How could you possibly know such things?"</p><p>"Because," her twin said, <em>"I am you."</em></p><p>"What?" She had gotten to her feet, but stopped in her tracks, that claim was far too absurd.</p><p>"Take that cap of yours, it's just my size."</p><p>The double crawled forward the last few feet and climbed up Naoto's body, draping two familiar arms over her shoulders and leaning against her face.</p><p>Naoto was shocked, certainly, but she would have been lying if she were to say she didn't appreciate the first proper hug she had had in years.</p><p>"See how well it fits?"</p><p>The Doppelganger nuzzled against her shoulder like an affectionate kitten, causing her duplicated hat to fall off.</p><p>Naoto removed her own to replace it, and indeed, it fit her twin perfectly.</p><p>Naoto's double grasped her hands and, stepping back just a bit, established unflinching eye contact.</p><p>"Tell me your heart doesn't race when someone draws close, Naoto-kun."</p><p>Naoto was short of breath, her throat felt tight, and her heart beat like an army of drummers at maximum pace, thundering in her ears, she felt like she would never eat again.</p><p>"That when your loneliness is broken with connection, you don't want to jump for joy."</p><p>"I-i, Uhm."</p><p>Her double smiled and pulled in close for another brief hug.</p><p>Naoto felt that she could run a marathon and not feel tired, that she could climb a mountain without breaking a sweat.</p><p>She also felt exhausted, her knees were weak, she could collapse at any moment.</p><p>The shadow stepped back, still holding Naoto's non-dominant hand. She could grab her gun right now if she wanted to.</p><p>If this person knew her so well, she was being trusted completely.</p><p>Those piercing yellow eyes glowed more faintly as she looked away, a stream of tears descending her cheek. </p><p>"Please, don't leave me all alone?"</p><p>Naoto's heart stirred with pity and need, she knew that this other her was right.</p><p>She was dreadfully lonely, too.</p><p>"I-"</p><p>The yellow eyes brightened somewhat.</p><p>"I-i can s-stay."</p><p>A grin broke out on her doppelganger's face.</p><p>"Then please," she said, wiping her tears, "repeat after me."</p><p>Naoto nodded, solemn.</p><p>"I am thou, thou art I."</p><p>"I am thou, Thou a-art-"</p><p>The shadow pulled her forward before she could finish, into a tight embrace.</p><p>"-I," she gasped.</p><p>A soft chuckle tickled her ear, and she felt an odd warmth take root in her heart.</p><p>For the first time in a while, Naoto felt truly at ease.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Side B (Refusal) Track 01</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I-"</p><p>The shadow pulled her forward before she could finish, into a tight embrace.</p><p>"-I," she gasped out, her throat tight.</p><p>"Say it, please," a faint, weak voice drifted through her head.</p><p>Somehow, her twin felt weaker than before.</p><p>"I-i, I can't just-"</p><p>The other her, no, the thing grasped at her more desperately, it's nails digging into her skin like claws.</p><p>"Say it," the creature roared into her ear, "I need you so badly, why can't we just be one at last!"</p><p>Naoto struggled, but it was gaining strength she couldn't possibly possess, her heart was shadowed with fear, no, with terror, she looked at her own face and saw only a monster.</p><p>"Y-you can't be me."</p><p>All at once, the thing that wore her face released her, and she blasted away and landed on the floor.</p><p>She hadn't realized how hard she had been pushing to escape.</p><p>"Say it again, if you really feel that way, you heartless jerk."</p><p>The other her wore an expression of not only contempt, but utter disappointment.</p><p>Naoto absolutely hated it.</p><p>"You dare to wear my face you smug prick?! You're not me! You're not even good enou-"</p><p>The apparition vanished from the room.</p><p>Naoto suddenly felt very cold inside, like her heart had been buried in a bathtub filled with ice.</p><p>As her vision swam, she heard a voice calling her name. . .</p><hr/><p>
  <span>"Calm down, Kanji-kun, are you sure that's the case? You rushed ahead and nobody else saw, this is unprecedented, after all."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kanji's voice was shaky, scratchy, and insufferably loud. The boy was wearing his school uniform jacket like a cape over his signature skull shirt, while the boy he referred to as Senpai was wearing what looked like a dignified butler's outfit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Senpai, I'm telling you," The blond boy's twin said, lounging on a nearby sofa in a pair of floral-print swimming trunks, "I know what I saw, she didn't just deny her own shadow, she outright <em>Rejected</em> her!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yu frowned thoughtfully, and his other self, distinguished by much fancier clothes, not unlike Dojima-san's work suit, knelt beside Naoto, a curious expression on his face as he poked and prodded hers with his pinky-finger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, little lady," <em>poke,</em> "you alright?" <em>P</em><em>oke,</em> "you look really out of it." <em>Poke, </em>"did you do a Flipsy?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naoto drew her gun and fired several shots into the boy's chest, and he collapsed atop her in a bloody heap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yosuke, who wore a Junes work outfit, and who had been watching Naoto with relative disinterest so far, jumped back in surprise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yu himself collapsed to his knees and began retching violently. He barely managed to crawl to the railing so he could avoid vomiting on the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naoto shoved aside what she presumed to be the corpse of one out of her five irritants for that day, and slowly stood on her admittedly shaky legs, reloading her revolver from a box of bullets stashed in her button-up's breast-pocket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yosuke and his shadow, who wore a long red scarf and a Phys. Ed. Jersey, and was no longer bored, knew trouble when they saw it, and called out in unison.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"MaSukukaja!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Naoto turned and fired twice at the headaches, but they were <em>somehow</em> fast enough to dodge her bullets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another duo called out from behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ziodyne!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the second time that day, everything went dark.</span>
</p><hr/><p> </p>
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